A TRIBUTE TO MY MOTHER ON MOTHER’S DAY
By Dr.
Conrad W. Worrill (May 7 2008)
On this Mother’s
Day, I will miss the physical presence of my mother. One of the revelations of
which I am now firmly aware, is that although I physically look like may
father, the major attributes of my personality, disposition, and attitude
reflect the profound personality of my mother, Anna Belle. Therefore, on this
Mother’s Day, I want to pay tribute to my own mother who reflects the story of
many great Black Mothers world wide. This is my tribute, remembering the life
of Anna Belle Gravenberg Worrill
Anna Belle
Gravenberg Worrill was born May 9, 1919 to August and Lilly Gravenberg in Jeanerette, Louisiana.
Anna Belle, who had eight brothers and one sister, was affectionately called
“Annie” by close family members.
In 1920, a
pneumonia epidemic took the lives of over two hundred people in Jeanerette. Her
parents were among the casualties leaving Anna Belle, at the tender age of
seven months, and her siblings orphaned. For a brief time, Anna Belle and her
older sister Minola lived at a Catholic Convent. During their stay in the
convent, Minola, who was like a mother to Annie, greatly impressed the nuns
with her devotion to her younger sister.
In the early
1920s, Anna Belle, Minola, and their older brother, Conrad, moved to New Orleans, Louisiana
to live with their Aunt Maggie Matthews. During the early 1930s they relocated
to Los Angeles, California to reside with their brother
Conrad and his wife. In Los Angeles,
Anna Belle attended public school. She later settled with Lillian Piersaul and
her husband in Pasadena, California
where she attended Washington Junior High School and Pasadena High School.
During this
period, Anna Belle’s interests in the arts and music became apparent. She began
to study ballet and to receive vocal training. Her participation in the choir
at the First A.M.E.
Church in Pasadena showcased her gift as a vocalist,
and she was often selected to solo. At this time she met Walter Worrill, another
member of the church choir. They courted and married in September 1940. Anna
Belle attended Pasadena
Junior College where she
continued to receive vocal training and study music. She was often requested to
sing at major events in the Los
Angeles County
area at churches, weddings, and funerals.
Anna Belle and
Walter’s first child, born on August 15, 1941, was a son they named Conrad
Walter Worrill (Conrad in honor of her older brother and Walter for his
father). Her passion for working with children led her to secure a teaching
position at the Pacific Oaks Nursery School
in Pasadena
where she later enrolled Conrad.
Anna Belle was
honored to be selected to sing at the wedding of baseball legend, Jackie
Robinson in 1946. In the late 1940s, Annie became a member of the renowned
Pasadena Civic Chorus that presented major concerts throughout the city and
surrounding area. Her love for children, music, and the arts reflected her
passion for life and made a great impression on those with whom she came into contact.
During the 1940s,
Anna Belle assisted her husband Walter with his work in the YMCA Movement. In
1950, the YMCA transferred Walter to Chicago,
Illinois. Big city life was
challenging for the Worrill family. Upon their arrival in Chicago,
the couple resided at the YMCA Hotel located at 826 South Wabash.
The challenges for housing in Chicago
at that time were quite severe. Fortunately, on their train trip from California to Chicago they
befriended a waiter, Mr. Anthony, who owned a building at 5640 South Maryland. He had a vacancy on the second floor and
allowed them to lease the apartment.
On April 29, 1951
a second son, Oscar William Worrill, named in honor of his grandfather, was
born to Anna Belle and Walter. Anna Belle quickly became involved in the choir
at St. Mark’s Methodist
Church. She was most
influential in organizing the Handel’s Messiah concert, which became an annual
Christmas season event and is still an annual event at St. Mark’s. She was a
member of the Chicago Music Association and protégé to the late Theodore
Charles Stone. Anna Belle was the family representative to welcome the
neighbors, who included the popular disc jockey, Al Benson; the distinguished
sociologist and anthropologist, St. Clair Drake; the Minor family who lived across
the street; and many others living in the west Hyde Park
community. Her dynamic personality and spiritual gift enabled her to easily
interact with all people.
She participated
in the PTA at Ray, Neil, Dixon, Hyde Park High,
and Calumet High Schools where her sons Conrad and
Oscar attended. As a result of her volunteerism, she was made a lifetime member
of the National PTA. She was an aggressive parent advocate, not only for her
sons but for all children. She tirelessly worked to ensure that they received
everything to which they were entitled. Anna Belle eventually took a job as an
administrative clerk at the University
of Chicago where she
worked in the Bursar’s Office for more than fifteen years. She became known for
helping students negotiate their financial aid payments to the university, and
she voluntarily assisted many students to make sure that their financial aid
needs were met.
In 1957, the
Worrill family purchased a home at 8450 South Prairie in Chicago’s
Chatham
neighborhood. There the family experienced “white flight” first hand. The day
they moved into their new home several white families were moving out.
Anna Belle became
well known for her neighborliness and concern for members of the community.
When Ernest “Stu” Collins, an African American entrepreneur, opened a
supermarket at 79th and Calumet,
she became the leading advocate for blacks to shop with blacks, especially at
Stu Collins’ Certified. For years, Anna Belle would walk from her home at 84th
and Prairie to 79th and Calumet and
back with groceries purchased from the black-owned grocery. She was very proud
of her support for black owned businesses and instilled those values in her
children.
In 1970, Walter
took a new position with the YMCA. Anna Belle and Walter moved from Chicago to Pennlyn,
Pennsylvania. It was during this
period that Anna Belle returned to her Catholic faith and attended a local
Catholic church in Pennlyn on a regular basis. After Walter and Anna Belle
divorced in the late 1970s, Anna Belle remained in Pennlyn and secured a
position working in a nursing home. In 1989, her son, Oscar assisted her in
moving back to Chicago so she could be close to her sons, other family members,
and friends. With the support of her sons, Oscar and Conrad, Anna Belle lived a
full life in Chicago.
Anna Belle loved
her family: her sister, brothers, sons, nieces, nephews, in-laws, grand and
great grandchildren. She often spent quality time with them, especially her
grandchildren. In the final year of her life, Anna Belle lived in the Renaissance
Senior Citizen Residence in the South
Shore neighborhood.
Though her eyesight began to fail, she was the life of the party among the
elders in her new home. And all of the staff loved Anna Belle as well.
Anna Belle was
blessed in the last months of her life to receive a visit from her older
sister, Minola. Minola, who does not fly, her daughter Gail, and her
goddaughter Tracey drove across country from Los Angeles
to Chicago in a
Winnebago motor home so she could spend time with her baby sister. Annie and
Minola were able to visit with their brother Columbus Gravenberg, who lived in
the western suburbs of Chicago.
This was a well-timed reunion for shortly after their visit Columbus made his transition.
After a brief
illness, Anna Belle was hospitalized at South Shore
Hospital on Wednesday
evening, December 5, 2007. She made her transition in the hospital on Saturday,
December 8, 2007. Clearly, Anna Belle Gravenberg Worrill lived a full and
productive life that focused on her love and support of her family, friends,
and community.
Anna Belle left to
cherish her life and legacy her sister, Minola; sons, Conrad (Talibah) and
Oscar (Denise); former husband, Walter Worrill; grandchildren, Michelle, Femi,
Sobenna, Kimberly Aisha, and Gloria Ann; eight great grandchildren, numerous
in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and many friends. The Ancestral Realm is
fortified with the spirit of Anna Belle Gravenberg Worrill. Those of us she
left behind will miss her on this Mother’s Day. But we are stronger for having
been touched by her and we too are fortified by her spirit. Happy Mother’s Day,
Mom!
Conrad Worrill
National Chairman
National Black United Front (NBUF)
NBUF
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